At a time of political instability and energy shortages, the Egyptian government turned to introducing imported coal as an energy source for the cement industry, due to insufficient natural gas supplies. Business tycoons of the cement industry claimed high losses, pushing to advance the coal agenda, when the industry enjoys a rather high profit margin and benefits from subsidised electricity and a strong lobbying power (1). Despite disapproval from civil society, and the industry's track record of causing high pollution, in April 2014 an interim cabinet decision approved the combustion of coal in cement plants in absence of an elected parliament (2,3). Environmental and human rights groups (most outspokenly the grassroots movement Egyptians Against Coal, the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), as well as the previous Minister of Environment Laila Eskandar) have been mobilizing against this backward decision on legal, environmental and health premises (4, 3). |
With the support of the EBRD and profiting from the political instability, business tycoons of the cement industry pushed to advance the coal agenda, when the industry enjoys a rather high profit margin
| Name of conflict: | Coal Use in Cement Factories, Egypt |
| Country: | Egypt |
| Project details | |
| Type of population | Urban |
| Affected Population: | 20-40 million (the majority of cement power plants are concentrated in the most populous regions) |
| Start of the conflict: | 20/11/2013 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | CEMEX from Mexico Suez Cement from Egypt Lafarge from France - In Egypt, Lafarge was the first to adopt the coal policy, and had imported coal for use in its plants even before the cabinet's approval of the practice (7, 9). Arabian Cement from Egypt - By November, 2014, it had started a gradual switch, and had imported 700,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa, Ukraine and Spain |
| Relevant government actors: | Ministry of Environment Ministry of Electricity Egyptian Cabinet |
| International and Finance Institutions | The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | -Egyptians Against Coal -The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) -The Association of Health and Environmental Development (AHED) -The Society for Community Development in South Sinai -The Egyptian Initaitve for Personal Rights -Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) - Egyptian Center for Legislative and Civil Reform - Tahrir Association of Doctors |
| Intensity | LOW (some local organising) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Local ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements |
| Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Media based activism/alternative media Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Arguments for the rights of mother nature Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Air pollution Potential: Global warming, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity) |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Occupational disease and accidents, Other Health impacts |
| Other Health impacts | Respiratory diseases |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Violations of human rights |
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Court decision (undecided) Repression |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | Cement factories already started using imported coal, with no evidence to suggest improved conditions in transportation or factory practices. Further, the new (anti)protest law in Egypt muffles the once active voices of civil society. |
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| Contributor: | EJAtlas contributor |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 2078 |